


Duet Dance

by sempre_balla



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken | Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen, Officer's Academy AU, dance practice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:41:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25484125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sempre_balla/pseuds/sempre_balla
Summary: However, Ninian is standing right in front of him, urging him on with a small smile. He has the undivided time and attention of the best dance teacher in the Officer’s Academy, so he will be damned if he doesn’t try. With his short legs, he begins to work through the slow, measured footwork that his sister taught him earlier in the day, his long scarf following his motions much like Ninian’s hair did hers.
Relationships: Nils & Ninian (Fire Emblem)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Duet Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone!! This is the first of two fics that I wrote for the wonderful Academy Emblem Zine, a crossover zine about characters from the older Fire Emblem games in the Officer's Academy from Three Houses. It was an absolute blast to work on and it is chock full with wonderful art and writing, so make sure to check out [their twitter](https://twitter.com/FE_academy_zine/) to learn more about the project. 
> 
> I had the pleasure of writing my favorite Blazing Blade characters, Nils and Ninian, practicing together for the White Heron Cup, Nils as a student for the Emerald Foxes, the Elibe class, and Ninian as the Academy's dance teacher. Please enjoy!!

Nils gives his sister his umpteenth long-suffering look of the day. Ninian smiles at him, and he can't tell if she's trying to be sympathetic, encouraging or both. 

“You will be fine,” she says, also for the umpteenth time. “You’ll do great, Nils.”

“No, I'll go out there and everyone will expect me to be as good as you, which I won't be, so I'll fail miserably and won't be able to show myself in front of my classmates ever again.”

Ninian’s smile softens. “Did Lord Hector say something to you again?”

Nils crosses his arms and pouts, because if there is someone he can let himself be a kid in front of, that is his sister. 

“He said that he didn't even know that I could dance, and then laughed at my face.” Nils doesn’t normally take Hector’s words to heart, interpreting them as the light-hearted banter that they are supposed to be, but the man really hit a sore spot this time. “I couldn't even say anything because he's right.” 

“But you _can_ dance, Nils. You dance when you're playing your flute!”

Nils fights the urge to groan in embarrassment because he's not going to be mean to Ninian. Ninian has done nothing wrong. She isn’t the one who picked him to participate in the White Heron Cup, and she offered to help him practice before his own professor did. Besides, he loves her too much to even try to sass her. 

“Those little jigs won't win me the White Heron Cup,” he mumbles. They're not even a proper dance, just mindless footwork. “I just really don't get why I was picked. You're the dancer of the family, not me.”

“I'm sure you were picked because your class believes in you.”

“Or they’re just doing it as a joke.” 

“Everyone in the Emerald Foxes loves you, Nils, teachers and students alike. They wouldn't do this to you.”

Ninian is right and Nils knows it, but he sighs anyway. It is just inexplicable to him that he was chosen to represent his class. No one in the Emerald Foxes is as good of a dancer as Ninian is, but surely there is someone in there that is better than him. He really doesn’t understand. 

“Then _why_?” he laments, nervously twisting the ends of his scarf. “I don’t get it. I’m not graceful enough for this.”

“Well, I… I can’t answer for those that picked you,” Ninian says, walking up to him and taking his hands, slowly prying them away from the yellow fabric. “But I know that they didn’t make the wrong choice. All I’m good for is dancing, b-but you, Nils? You’re much more confident, and likeable, and able to master anything you put your mind to.”

Nils frowns. He moves his hands in Ninian’s grasp so he can hold hers back and gives her a serious look. 

“I won’t accept any compliments if you put yourself down when you’re giving them,” he warns her. 

She averts her gaze, meek, an apology ready on her lips. She bites it back though, and Nils is proud of her for it. They have been over her habit of apologizing excessively many times, and he really appreciates that she is trying to grow out of it. _You’re a teacher now,_ he often tells her, _and your students really respect you! Chin up, Ninian._

“You-you’re confident, and likeable, and can master anything you put your mind to,” she tries again, smiling shyly when Nils beams at her. “You’ll do amazing with some practice.”

“Alright, praise taken!” he says, taking a step back and getting into position, his arms raised as if he was holding an imaginary dancing partner. “Let’s get back to it.”

Ninian nods, stepping back as well and signaling for him to start moving. Frankly, Nils still feels ridiculous. Part of why he’s having such a hard time coming to terms with participating in the White Heron Cup is that a solo competition where the dance they’re required to perform is inherently meant for pairs feels absurd. He feels like he will make a fool out of himself like this, and he definitely looks very silly when performing. Ninian, however, was beautiful when she gave him a demonstration. Her feet glided across the grass in a fluid motion that made her seem like she was floating, her hair flowing with her movements and looking very much like a steady stream of water. For all that Ninian stutters and fumbles when interacting with others, she is sure of herself when she dances, and she can turn any ridiculous routine into something incredible to behold. 

Nils does not have that talent. He’s good at getting people pumped with his music, which makes him a great performer at more informal celebrations and events, but the whole being quiet and graceful thing really isn’t for him. The years haven’t been too kind on his physical growth and his limbs are too short to be elegant. However, Ninian is standing right in front of him, urging him on with a small smile. He has the undivided time and attention of the best dance teacher in the Officer’s Academy, so he will be damned if he doesn’t try. With his short legs, he begins to work through the slow, measured footwork that his sister taught him earlier in the day, his long scarf following his motions much like Ninian’s hair did hers. He keeps his back straight as he spins to the rhythm of a waltz he is playing in his head. He still feels odd and ridiculous dancing with an imaginary partner and an imaginary song, so his feet stutter on his next turn. 

He sighs through his nose and almost stops dancing to complain again, but then Ninian starts humming. It’s not the same melody Nils had in his mind, but a slow song they have performed together a few times. The routine is completely unbefitting of such a tune, but Ninian’s humming gets a little louder when Nils’s steps falter again. He smiles and makes a spin that is too wide for the routine but fits Ninian’s style of dancing a little more. He closes his eyes and joins in his sister’s humming, harmonizing with her voice. He imagines that his arms aren’t awkwardly held out in front of him and that they are holding his flute instead, adding higher notes to the song as he moves along with it. 

“Careful,” Ninian warns. Nils opens his eyes and sees that he has steered far too close to his sister and is about to crash into her. 

He grins and steps closer to her instead, taking her hand and pulling her along with him. Ninian laughs sweetly and lets herself be led, putting her other hand on Nils’s shoulder as if their height difference doesn’t make it awkward for him to lead. The White Heron Cup requires him to dance as if he’s leading, so he does just that, spinning her around the courtyard. The rhythm of their humming gets a little too fast as the song crescendos and, completely carried away, Nils tries to dip Ninian when the routine requires it. 

The woman is thin, but she is also much, much taller than Nils, who isn’t especially strong himself. He manages to hold her weight for a couple of seconds, just enough to see her eyes widening in brief horror when his arms give out and they both topple to the ground. He lands on top of her with a small ‘oof’ and their song is over before it has had a chance to conclude. 

“...That probably wasn’t very useful practice, was it?” Ninian says after a short silence, and Nils sighs. 

“Probably not. But!” He pushes himself up and sits back on the grass, giving Ninian some space to sit up as well. “I really needed that. I was too stiff, wasn’t I?”

“A little,” she says, giving him an apologetic look. “But I could tell you were really feeling it at the end! If you dance like you’re having fun, you will captivate the judges.”

“Then I’ll just imagine I’m dancing with you,” he replies, nodding to himself. 

Ninian smiles softly, clearly touched by his words, and pulls him into a short hug that he eagerly returns. They have to get up and continue practicing a routine that is far too boring for the two of them, but Nils feels more relaxed now, his sister’s praise and belief in him feeding his confidence. It’s always felt easy to perform with her, and practicing for her eyes alone is fun. 

Dancing in front of all of his classmates—and the entire school, basically—on the day of the actual competition isn’t as much fun, but he keeps his eyes on Ninian as he performs his slow twirls and he can see her smiling much wider than she usually does, her head nodding along to the rhythm of the song. When he finishes and offers his audience a deep bow, he sees her standing up when she claps for him, startling Eliwood, who is seated next to her and has probably never seen her act so vigorously. 

She’s proud of him, and Nils is happy to have earned that pride. Whether he wins or loses does not matter—partly because he has not made a fool of himself in front of his classmates, who are cheering him on with all they have, but more importantly because he has the approval of the person that matters the most in the world, and that is a victory in and of itself. 

**Author's Note:**

> Please look forward to my next fic about this zine, which I will post soon. You can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/deformedcities/) for updates.


End file.
